There are a few things I need to do, just to clear up the story for you AND
myself. ^_^
Ages: Leon- 21 Yuffie & Selphie – 16 Kairi & Sora – 15 Cloud- 23 Aerith- 22 Riku – 17 Jailyn- 16 Riaz – unknown
Rooms: Yuffie/kairi – 3rd floor (purple room) Aerith/Cloud – 3rd floor (Silver room) Hallway- 3rd floor (yellow) Bathroom 3rd floor- (Light green)
Sora – 2nd floor (Dark green room) Leon – 2nd floor (light blue room) Bathroom 2nd floor- (Peach) Hallway 2nd floor (dark blue room)
Riaz – 1st floor (Red room) White room- 1st floor (foyer) Hallway 1st floor (pink room) Kitchen 1st floor (orange) Living room- 1st floor (black) Bathroom 1st floor- (turquoise)
~_~ Yuffie POV ~_~
She looked as though she'd seen a ghost, tears pouring silently down her pale, shocked face. I couldn't help but notice she was in her pajama pants and a bra. She didn't seem to care that she was indecent. I worriedly took a couple steps closer to her.
"Hey? Kairi?" I asked quietly, wondering what in the world was the matter with her. She continued to stare in horror at the open bathroom door. Steam was consistently spilling out of the door; I could hear the water running.
"Kairi what's the matter?" I asked again, a little louder, a little more forceful. She was trembling terribly, seeming to lose her balance. I grabbed her and kept her upright. Something was wrong. "Is it in the bathroom? A spider maybe? Should I get Sora?" I knew a spider wouldn't cause her to get THIS upset.
Kairi seemed to come alive when she heard Sora's name. "Sora. Get Sora now." She whispered, looking at me.
I nodded, but didn't feel sure about leaving her in the state she was in. Something in her voice compelled me to move, and I did. Down the hall, down the stairs to the second floor. Now which one was Sora's room?
I didn't have the time or patience to knock on each door so I simply yelled, "Sora!" It was a little louder than I meant for it to be but it didn't matter. It was probably 7:30 as of now anyway; the rest of them needed to get up.
There was a sort of commotion from the door on my right. It flew open, revealing a tired looking, spiky headed Sora.
"What the hell?" He looked at me and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What'd you yell for?" He leaned against the doorframe. I grabbed his arm, not bothering to answer. Another door opened, and Leon poked his head out.
"Yuffie?" He asked when he saw me. "Who screamed?"
"No time. It's Kairi. Something is wrong and I don't know what it is." I began, already around the corner and heading up the stairs with Sora in tow. He seemed to come alive when I announced it was Kairi that was in trouble and looked much more serious.
Upstairs, Kairi was nowhere to be found. I thought it was awfully strange the steam had stopped pouring from the bathroom doorway. I didn't stop to think it was because the water in the shower had run cold.
I didn't realize Leon had followed until I heard him ask, "Where is she?"
"She was here...." I muttered, walking toward the open bathroom door.
"Kairi?" Sora called, walking next to me. I looked into the bathroom hesitantly, afraid of what I would see. Kairi was on her knees in the corner opposite us, looking at the sink nervously. There was a smell, not very strong, but pungent enough to notice.
"Lord what died in here?" I muttered. Kairi inhaled sharply and looked at me with wide, watery eyes. Without warning, she burst into tears. Sora crossed the small room in one and a half steps, sinking down to the floor and put his arms around her.
"What?" I asked, confused. I looked back at Leon. "What'd I do?" Leon didn't answer but the look on his face let me know I'd just discovered what was wrong with Kairi. Something...or someONE was dead.
The clues were all there, the bloody handprints on the sink counter I'd missed and the bloody towel laying on the cold tile floor. The blood on Kairi's hands...
Kairi had been staring at the sink. It must have been under the sink. I shakily reached over and pulled the cabinet door open. A hand fell out. "Oh my god." I gasped and turned away. I had gotten a full glimpse of the face, of the lifeless eyes, of the slash across her neck.
Sora must have seen too. "Someone go get Cloud." He said quietly. Neither Leon nor I moved.
Riaz poked her head in, startling us all. "What's going on?" She asked, completely oblivious to the murder that had taken place in her own home.
"Go get Cloud NOW." Sora demanded, his voice rising.
"I'll go." Leon said suddenly, already making his way out the door. I glanced back at him half-heartedly. Sora grabbed Kairi's shirt, which was lying on the ground next to the bloody towel, and handed it to her. After a few quiet words I couldn't hear Kairi took it and pulled it over her head, sniffling and getting to her feet.
She mumbled something and Sora's eyes widened. "Of course it wasn't you! No one would think that." He replied with swift assurance. I saw his hand slip into hers.
The gravity of the situation hit me all at once. Someone was dead, MURDERED. That meant someone in this house was a murderer. Someone in this house was crazy enough to kill.
My skin prickled with fear and suspicion. I backed out of the bathroom, leaving the smell and the blood and the mess. Cloud rushed past me, striding into the bathroom and demanding to know what happened. I knew Leon wouldn't be far behind.
{~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~}Jailyn{~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~}
"What's going on?" I yawned, rolling over. I nearly screamed. Riku's eyes fluttered open, hazy at first. They focused on my face and widened.
"What the hell..." He jerked back, nearly falling off the bed. His bed. I sat up and looked around. I was under his sheets but he was on top of them. I was in a large t-shirt that I remembered Riaz supplying for me the night before, but Riku was only in boxers.
His confused expression relaxed. "Oh yeah." He muttered and yawned widely.
"Oh yeah?!" I repeated. He grinned.
"Relax Jai. You fell asleep next to me last night while we were looking out the window. Remember?" He stood up and stretched. "I didn't have the heart to wake you."
Slowly I recalled going to get water late last night, and seeing Riaz in the kitchen. I did remember Riku saying we should stay, and sitting next to him. After that everything went hazy.
"Oh yeah. Thanks." I said uncomfortably. The sound of running footsteps down the hall reminded me of my original question. "What's going on out there?" I crawled over the bed toward Riku.
He opened the door and poked his head out. "Its Yuffie..." He said and pulled the door open all the way. From the sound of his voice it wasn't any big deal, but it quickly turned serious. "Something's wrong with her."
"What?" I muttered, squeezing past him. "Yuffie?" I asked, seeing her dull expression. She glanced at me.
"Hey." She said. Her usual sarcasm and spunk was replaced by a state of shock.
"What's wrong?" I stepped out in front of her, touching her shoulder. She was starting to worry me.
"Aerith's been killed. She's stuffed under the sink in the bathroom with her throat slashed. I'm waiting for Leon to get up here so we can leave." She spoke with honesty, no tact needed.
"Aerith? You mean the pretty brunette?" I glanced at Riku then back at the black haired girl. When she nodded I stepped back and she walked past. Leon met her at the top of the stairs. I heard her tell him that it was Aerith.
"Get in here Jai." Riku said gruffly, pulling me back in the room. He shut the door.
"Oh my God. It's that Riaz woman. I swear it. She was up last night, and what did she say?"
"Leave them alone."
"YES!" I gasped, sitting on my bed. I jumped up just as quickly; there was a wet spot. I pulled the blankets back, seeing the unopened bottle of water. I picked it up and rolled it around in my hands.
"Its too bad. She was a nice girl." Riku muttered, pulling on his shirt.
I snorted. "Yeah. Too bad. Too bad there's a freakin murderer loose too." I grumbled.
"Just get dressed." Riku smirked, reaching over to ruffle my hair.
[------*-----]
"Where the hell is my truck?!" Riku growled, glaring at Riaz. I hovered carefully behind him, tentatively putting my hand on his shoulder.
"Riku." I began.
"Jailyn don't." He said sharply, grabbing my hand. Despite his hard eyes and harsh voice he still had a very careful touch with me. He pushed my hand away and stepped forward.
"I want to know where my truck is right...now" He menacingly glared at Riaz. She stood firmly, staring him in the eyes.
"I have no idea where your truck is-"
"Bullshit."
"I don't." She repeated, "And I suggest very strongly that you do not raise your voice to me again." This time her eyes flashed, turning they're angry black color. Fear settled in my stomach.
"Riku lets go." I demanded fiercely. He hesitantly tore his eyes away from her and rested them on me.
"Jailyn you don't understand. We can't leave. We're 30 miles from civilization with no means of transportation and-"He glanced out the window. "The rain looks like it's going to start soon." He pointed to the dark clouds.
"But why would Riaz take the cars?" I argued.
"Because she-"he growled and turned back around. Riaz was nowhere to be found. "Where'd she go?" He muttered, looking down the hall. I suddenly had a very sick feeling something was wrong.
"What're we gonna do? We don't have a phone." I said, subdued. He looked down, his arms crossed tightly across this chest.
"I don't know. No one has a cell phone or they'd have called someone by now. SHE doesn't have a phone either." I took it SHE was Riaz. "So no one can call the police. The cars are gone..."
"So basically. We're all going to die." I decided simply, sitting on the clean white couch.
"We are not going to die. I wont let it happen." Riku turned sharply.
"How? Cloud couldn't keep protect Aerith." I pointed out.
"Cloud didn't have a warning. Unfortunately. Sad and heartless as it sounds, we've all been warned now. We thought we were safe...I'm just glad it wasn't." He stopped, his eyes growing wide. A very soft and almost undetectable blush spread across his face. He looked away, muttering to himself.
"Wasn't what." I asked absently, oblivious to any insinuation he could have been making.
"Nothin." His quiet, embarrassed voice caught my attention.
"Wasn't what Riku?" I repeated, standing up.
"Wasn't. Nothing. Forget it." He said firmly. He instead took my place on the couch and put his face in his hands. I looked at him carefully.
"Well." Was my slow reply. "I'm glad it wasn't you either."
Luckily we didn't have time to dwell on the moment. Sora burst through the door of the white room with Kairi in tow. Her hand was clasped tightly in his.
"I take it you heard..." I smiled weakly. Kairi glanced at me, trying to return the gesture.
"She saw. "Sora said quietly.
"Oh." I felt like putting my head through the wall. Big mouth.
"Lets go Yuffie! Leon!" Sora yelled suddenly, causing me to jump. He noticed and muttered sorry.
"Cloud's finished putting Aerith in a blanket..." Yuffie announced grimly as she appeared. Leon was behind her, walking slowly, but he looked a good amount better.
"You wont be leaving anytime soon." Riku said, sitting back. "The cars are gone."
Sora looked at him blankly. "Gone." He repeated sarcastically.
"Gone. As in not there." Riku smirked.
"As in, we're stuck here." I added. The look on Kairi's face was that of someone who had just learned they had an inoperable cancer. A death sentence. And in a sick and twisted way, being stuck here WAS a death sentence.
XXXXXXXX~!Kairi POV!~XXXXXXX
I heard someone behind me and moved out of the way. It was Cloud. He was holding something in a was-white sheet, now stained with red. MY breath caught in my throat and I shut my eyes.
It made it all too real, seeing her. Cloud walked past the group of us, heading toward the door. His face was a solemn, gray color, showing no emotion. All eyes were on him and the bundle in his arms.
"Would someone get that?" He asked, nodding to the door. It was silent for a moment.
"There's nowhere to put her." Riku said finally. "Someone stole the cars."
"I doubt they STOLE the cars-"Sora began
"Oh I'm sure they just borrowed them." Jailyn snapped. Her eyes grew wide, and I could tell she was shocked she said anything at all.
After a moment, Sora tried again. "Maybe Riaz knows where they are."
"Tried that. She doesn't." Riku answered roughly. "We're stuck here."
"Then we'll walk." Cloud decided.
"30 miles?" Jailyn pointed out, her voice considerably nicer this time. "And in the rain?" she added. "Look."
Sure enough the rain had begun to pour once again, lightning flashing. Instead of looking like morning, it looked to be 6 in the afternoon.
"Where do I put her then?" Cloud shifted the weight in his arms. I pictured Aerith when I was 7 and I fell off my bike. She was my baby-sitter then, only 14 then. I remembered the way she used to pick me up and tell me I was fine.
I remembered the times she used to stay up late, helping me with homework, or helping me with my boy trouble. She was like my sister.
I took a shaky breath. Aerith deserved better than this.
"We have to bury her." Sora said quietly.
"Here? I'm not putting her in the ground where she was murdered." Cloud argued.
"What makes you so sure she was murdered?" Riaz seemed to appear out of nowhere, looking as sinister as ever. Sinister. That was the perfect word to describe her. I didn't know WHY I felt like that. Riaz had been nothing but nice. Somehow I didn't trust her.
My thoughts were confusing me. I just didn't want to think anymore. As though reading my mind, Sora squeezed my hand comfortingly.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Sora growled.
"Its possible." Riaz spoke clearly and coolly. "That she killed herself. Don't rule out what you don't want to think happened." I saw Cloud's jaw tighten.
"Easy." Sora muttered pointedly to the blonde.
"We'll put her outside for now." Cloud managed to sound calm.
"Why outside." I asked, my voice just above a whisper.
"Because she'll start to smell soon."
"Cloud!" I exclaimed. He sounded so blunt it offended me.
"Kairi." He shut his eyes. "She's not Aerith anymore." His voice was unnaturally soft. "Besides, I'll get her a proper burial when we get out of here." His rough manner was back. He kicked open the door, leaving a large dark dent in the white wood.
When he came back in his arms were empty and stained red. "I need a shower." He grumbled, pushing past Leon and Yuffie. The silence in the room was thick.
"So lets figure this out." Riku stood up and began to pace. "Aerith was killed, possibly by one of us. That's doubtful. If that's the case, then it has to be an outside force. That same outside force has taken our cars. We are 30 miles from the nearest phone and none of us have a cell phone." He glanced out the window. "And the rain has started again."
"So...To sum it up." Sora said slowly.
"We're screwed." Leon contributed to the conversation in a dark tone of voice. I glanced at him furtively. Something about him intimidated me. I turned back around quickly.
"Unless we stick together." Sora rationalized. Silence fell upon the three men again.
"What does that mean?" Riku finally asked. "That we should all room together?" I saw Jailyn take his wrist and pull him firmly down next to her.
"Damn pacing..." I heard her mutter.
"Well, not necessarily. Just stick together. Try not to be alone." Sora elaborated his idea.
"That sounds fairly drastic." Riku argued. There was a flicker of lightning, reminding me of a camera flash. I wondered what would show up if someone had taken a picture. Riku's calm smirk trained upon Sora. Sora's indignant stare. Yuffie's and my terrified expressions. Jailyn and Leon were the only ones seeming to really be thinking this through.
"Aerith is dead, I think it calls for drastic measures." Sora snapped.
"Maybe." Riku shrugged, not bothered by Sora's excitement. "It's a little over the top is all I'm saying. Aerith COULD HAVE killed herself. I mean, its possible."
"Or maybe you're TRYING to keep us apart. Makes it harder to kill eh?" Yuffie accused. "And before you go saying Aerith was suicidal, step back. She was probably the kindest, sweetest person out of all of us. I'd bet my life she was murdered. If you aren't careful, you'll be looking mighty suspicious." Even I was surprised to hear the unintentional malice in her voice.
Riku simply looked at her, an eyebrow raised in an infuriatingly calm manner. I could tell this angered Yuffie more.
"Now hold on." Jailyn jumped to her feet angrily and pushed a strand of her pepper colored hair behind her ear. "Don't start pointing fingers yet. We're all scared and worried and upset and none of us are thinking straight. Riku couldn't and wouldn't kill anyone. Its incredibly insulting to insinuate otherwise."
"Well it's insulting that he would think Aerith killed herself." I insisted, my temper rising. If I weren't careful, my mouth would get the better of me.
"Well you never know. Don't forget that neither Riku nor I knew the woman. Why would Riku kill without a reason? Or with a reason." She added quickly. "Besides, Riaz was the one that brought it up."
All eyes turned to Riaz, or rather, where Riaz used to be. She must have slipped off during the middle of the argument.
"Alright." Sora said calmly. The fight was over. "Kairi will be staying with me. If anyone else wants to move a bed into my room, they are welcome to do so. I still suggest we all stay together, at least in groups of twos. Just to be safe."
I saw Riku chuckle and shake his head. Sora intentionally ignored him. "C'mon Kai." Sora squeezed my hand and led me in silence out of the white room.
"What'd ya mean I'm staying with you?" I asked as soon as we were out of earshot. Sora grinned but didn't answer. "What about Yuffie?" I didn't give up just yet.
"She can stay with us if she wants. Although I have a feeling she'll end up stayin with that Leon guy." He answered, still grinning. He pushed open his door once we'd reached his room on the second floor.
"It's a bit messy...wasn't expecting visitors." He ran a hand through his hair.
"Its fine." I replied, stepping in. He followed and closed the door behind him. "Hey." I said after a minute.
"Hmm?"
"Don't you find it weird?"
"Whassat?"
I gestured to the extra bed. "That everything seems to planned here. Everything is clean and fresh, there are beds in every room with clean sheets, there's no dust to be found. I mean if I lived alone in a three story house, I certainly wouldn't dust it all." I shrugged.
"I see what you mean." Sora glanced at the ceiling. "She has no phone and no car, so how does she get food? Enough food to feed all of us?"
"It seems to me." I sat down next to him. "That this has all been planned."
"Planned? Like someone wants us all dead?"
I shrugged, not answering. For once, the silence felt comforting. I knew it was because Sora was here. And if Sora was here...nothing bad could happen. Right?
"You sure you can handle staying with me?" I teased, elbowing my spiky haired friend. He flashed me his cheesy grin.
"The better question is...can you handle staying with me?" He poked my side and I squeaked.
"Don't you dare..." I warned, inching away from him. He lunged, tickling my stomach. With a huge shove on my part, I managed to get him off the bed. He laughed as he looked up at me. The butterflies began.
For a moment, I almost forgot about my friend's brutal murder. Almost.
{{~*~*~*~*~}}
Its very short, for which I apologize. And I want to apologize again for it being so late. -_- Bleh yes I know. Anyway, I'm very sorry I killed Aerith...and I'm sorry for who I'm going to kill next...*sigh*
And I have a confession to make. Jailyn and Riku will be...an item. Yes...she's mary-sueish. But not really, cause this doesn't follow KH and...I'm making excuses. I hope you wont hold it against me...but I really like Jailyn. ^_^ So I'll let Riku have her...sorry if this upsets anyone. Anyway, Thanks for the reviews!!!
Ages: Leon- 21 Yuffie & Selphie – 16 Kairi & Sora – 15 Cloud- 23 Aerith- 22 Riku – 17 Jailyn- 16 Riaz – unknown
Rooms: Yuffie/kairi – 3rd floor (purple room) Aerith/Cloud – 3rd floor (Silver room) Hallway- 3rd floor (yellow) Bathroom 3rd floor- (Light green)
Sora – 2nd floor (Dark green room) Leon – 2nd floor (light blue room) Bathroom 2nd floor- (Peach) Hallway 2nd floor (dark blue room)
Riaz – 1st floor (Red room) White room- 1st floor (foyer) Hallway 1st floor (pink room) Kitchen 1st floor (orange) Living room- 1st floor (black) Bathroom 1st floor- (turquoise)
~_~ Yuffie POV ~_~
She looked as though she'd seen a ghost, tears pouring silently down her pale, shocked face. I couldn't help but notice she was in her pajama pants and a bra. She didn't seem to care that she was indecent. I worriedly took a couple steps closer to her.
"Hey? Kairi?" I asked quietly, wondering what in the world was the matter with her. She continued to stare in horror at the open bathroom door. Steam was consistently spilling out of the door; I could hear the water running.
"Kairi what's the matter?" I asked again, a little louder, a little more forceful. She was trembling terribly, seeming to lose her balance. I grabbed her and kept her upright. Something was wrong. "Is it in the bathroom? A spider maybe? Should I get Sora?" I knew a spider wouldn't cause her to get THIS upset.
Kairi seemed to come alive when she heard Sora's name. "Sora. Get Sora now." She whispered, looking at me.
I nodded, but didn't feel sure about leaving her in the state she was in. Something in her voice compelled me to move, and I did. Down the hall, down the stairs to the second floor. Now which one was Sora's room?
I didn't have the time or patience to knock on each door so I simply yelled, "Sora!" It was a little louder than I meant for it to be but it didn't matter. It was probably 7:30 as of now anyway; the rest of them needed to get up.
There was a sort of commotion from the door on my right. It flew open, revealing a tired looking, spiky headed Sora.
"What the hell?" He looked at me and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What'd you yell for?" He leaned against the doorframe. I grabbed his arm, not bothering to answer. Another door opened, and Leon poked his head out.
"Yuffie?" He asked when he saw me. "Who screamed?"
"No time. It's Kairi. Something is wrong and I don't know what it is." I began, already around the corner and heading up the stairs with Sora in tow. He seemed to come alive when I announced it was Kairi that was in trouble and looked much more serious.
Upstairs, Kairi was nowhere to be found. I thought it was awfully strange the steam had stopped pouring from the bathroom doorway. I didn't stop to think it was because the water in the shower had run cold.
I didn't realize Leon had followed until I heard him ask, "Where is she?"
"She was here...." I muttered, walking toward the open bathroom door.
"Kairi?" Sora called, walking next to me. I looked into the bathroom hesitantly, afraid of what I would see. Kairi was on her knees in the corner opposite us, looking at the sink nervously. There was a smell, not very strong, but pungent enough to notice.
"Lord what died in here?" I muttered. Kairi inhaled sharply and looked at me with wide, watery eyes. Without warning, she burst into tears. Sora crossed the small room in one and a half steps, sinking down to the floor and put his arms around her.
"What?" I asked, confused. I looked back at Leon. "What'd I do?" Leon didn't answer but the look on his face let me know I'd just discovered what was wrong with Kairi. Something...or someONE was dead.
The clues were all there, the bloody handprints on the sink counter I'd missed and the bloody towel laying on the cold tile floor. The blood on Kairi's hands...
Kairi had been staring at the sink. It must have been under the sink. I shakily reached over and pulled the cabinet door open. A hand fell out. "Oh my god." I gasped and turned away. I had gotten a full glimpse of the face, of the lifeless eyes, of the slash across her neck.
Sora must have seen too. "Someone go get Cloud." He said quietly. Neither Leon nor I moved.
Riaz poked her head in, startling us all. "What's going on?" She asked, completely oblivious to the murder that had taken place in her own home.
"Go get Cloud NOW." Sora demanded, his voice rising.
"I'll go." Leon said suddenly, already making his way out the door. I glanced back at him half-heartedly. Sora grabbed Kairi's shirt, which was lying on the ground next to the bloody towel, and handed it to her. After a few quiet words I couldn't hear Kairi took it and pulled it over her head, sniffling and getting to her feet.
She mumbled something and Sora's eyes widened. "Of course it wasn't you! No one would think that." He replied with swift assurance. I saw his hand slip into hers.
The gravity of the situation hit me all at once. Someone was dead, MURDERED. That meant someone in this house was a murderer. Someone in this house was crazy enough to kill.
My skin prickled with fear and suspicion. I backed out of the bathroom, leaving the smell and the blood and the mess. Cloud rushed past me, striding into the bathroom and demanding to know what happened. I knew Leon wouldn't be far behind.
{~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~}Jailyn{~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~}
"What's going on?" I yawned, rolling over. I nearly screamed. Riku's eyes fluttered open, hazy at first. They focused on my face and widened.
"What the hell..." He jerked back, nearly falling off the bed. His bed. I sat up and looked around. I was under his sheets but he was on top of them. I was in a large t-shirt that I remembered Riaz supplying for me the night before, but Riku was only in boxers.
His confused expression relaxed. "Oh yeah." He muttered and yawned widely.
"Oh yeah?!" I repeated. He grinned.
"Relax Jai. You fell asleep next to me last night while we were looking out the window. Remember?" He stood up and stretched. "I didn't have the heart to wake you."
Slowly I recalled going to get water late last night, and seeing Riaz in the kitchen. I did remember Riku saying we should stay, and sitting next to him. After that everything went hazy.
"Oh yeah. Thanks." I said uncomfortably. The sound of running footsteps down the hall reminded me of my original question. "What's going on out there?" I crawled over the bed toward Riku.
He opened the door and poked his head out. "Its Yuffie..." He said and pulled the door open all the way. From the sound of his voice it wasn't any big deal, but it quickly turned serious. "Something's wrong with her."
"What?" I muttered, squeezing past him. "Yuffie?" I asked, seeing her dull expression. She glanced at me.
"Hey." She said. Her usual sarcasm and spunk was replaced by a state of shock.
"What's wrong?" I stepped out in front of her, touching her shoulder. She was starting to worry me.
"Aerith's been killed. She's stuffed under the sink in the bathroom with her throat slashed. I'm waiting for Leon to get up here so we can leave." She spoke with honesty, no tact needed.
"Aerith? You mean the pretty brunette?" I glanced at Riku then back at the black haired girl. When she nodded I stepped back and she walked past. Leon met her at the top of the stairs. I heard her tell him that it was Aerith.
"Get in here Jai." Riku said gruffly, pulling me back in the room. He shut the door.
"Oh my God. It's that Riaz woman. I swear it. She was up last night, and what did she say?"
"Leave them alone."
"YES!" I gasped, sitting on my bed. I jumped up just as quickly; there was a wet spot. I pulled the blankets back, seeing the unopened bottle of water. I picked it up and rolled it around in my hands.
"Its too bad. She was a nice girl." Riku muttered, pulling on his shirt.
I snorted. "Yeah. Too bad. Too bad there's a freakin murderer loose too." I grumbled.
"Just get dressed." Riku smirked, reaching over to ruffle my hair.
[------*-----]
"Where the hell is my truck?!" Riku growled, glaring at Riaz. I hovered carefully behind him, tentatively putting my hand on his shoulder.
"Riku." I began.
"Jailyn don't." He said sharply, grabbing my hand. Despite his hard eyes and harsh voice he still had a very careful touch with me. He pushed my hand away and stepped forward.
"I want to know where my truck is right...now" He menacingly glared at Riaz. She stood firmly, staring him in the eyes.
"I have no idea where your truck is-"
"Bullshit."
"I don't." She repeated, "And I suggest very strongly that you do not raise your voice to me again." This time her eyes flashed, turning they're angry black color. Fear settled in my stomach.
"Riku lets go." I demanded fiercely. He hesitantly tore his eyes away from her and rested them on me.
"Jailyn you don't understand. We can't leave. We're 30 miles from civilization with no means of transportation and-"He glanced out the window. "The rain looks like it's going to start soon." He pointed to the dark clouds.
"But why would Riaz take the cars?" I argued.
"Because she-"he growled and turned back around. Riaz was nowhere to be found. "Where'd she go?" He muttered, looking down the hall. I suddenly had a very sick feeling something was wrong.
"What're we gonna do? We don't have a phone." I said, subdued. He looked down, his arms crossed tightly across this chest.
"I don't know. No one has a cell phone or they'd have called someone by now. SHE doesn't have a phone either." I took it SHE was Riaz. "So no one can call the police. The cars are gone..."
"So basically. We're all going to die." I decided simply, sitting on the clean white couch.
"We are not going to die. I wont let it happen." Riku turned sharply.
"How? Cloud couldn't keep protect Aerith." I pointed out.
"Cloud didn't have a warning. Unfortunately. Sad and heartless as it sounds, we've all been warned now. We thought we were safe...I'm just glad it wasn't." He stopped, his eyes growing wide. A very soft and almost undetectable blush spread across his face. He looked away, muttering to himself.
"Wasn't what." I asked absently, oblivious to any insinuation he could have been making.
"Nothin." His quiet, embarrassed voice caught my attention.
"Wasn't what Riku?" I repeated, standing up.
"Wasn't. Nothing. Forget it." He said firmly. He instead took my place on the couch and put his face in his hands. I looked at him carefully.
"Well." Was my slow reply. "I'm glad it wasn't you either."
Luckily we didn't have time to dwell on the moment. Sora burst through the door of the white room with Kairi in tow. Her hand was clasped tightly in his.
"I take it you heard..." I smiled weakly. Kairi glanced at me, trying to return the gesture.
"She saw. "Sora said quietly.
"Oh." I felt like putting my head through the wall. Big mouth.
"Lets go Yuffie! Leon!" Sora yelled suddenly, causing me to jump. He noticed and muttered sorry.
"Cloud's finished putting Aerith in a blanket..." Yuffie announced grimly as she appeared. Leon was behind her, walking slowly, but he looked a good amount better.
"You wont be leaving anytime soon." Riku said, sitting back. "The cars are gone."
Sora looked at him blankly. "Gone." He repeated sarcastically.
"Gone. As in not there." Riku smirked.
"As in, we're stuck here." I added. The look on Kairi's face was that of someone who had just learned they had an inoperable cancer. A death sentence. And in a sick and twisted way, being stuck here WAS a death sentence.
XXXXXXXX~!Kairi POV!~XXXXXXX
I heard someone behind me and moved out of the way. It was Cloud. He was holding something in a was-white sheet, now stained with red. MY breath caught in my throat and I shut my eyes.
It made it all too real, seeing her. Cloud walked past the group of us, heading toward the door. His face was a solemn, gray color, showing no emotion. All eyes were on him and the bundle in his arms.
"Would someone get that?" He asked, nodding to the door. It was silent for a moment.
"There's nowhere to put her." Riku said finally. "Someone stole the cars."
"I doubt they STOLE the cars-"Sora began
"Oh I'm sure they just borrowed them." Jailyn snapped. Her eyes grew wide, and I could tell she was shocked she said anything at all.
After a moment, Sora tried again. "Maybe Riaz knows where they are."
"Tried that. She doesn't." Riku answered roughly. "We're stuck here."
"Then we'll walk." Cloud decided.
"30 miles?" Jailyn pointed out, her voice considerably nicer this time. "And in the rain?" she added. "Look."
Sure enough the rain had begun to pour once again, lightning flashing. Instead of looking like morning, it looked to be 6 in the afternoon.
"Where do I put her then?" Cloud shifted the weight in his arms. I pictured Aerith when I was 7 and I fell off my bike. She was my baby-sitter then, only 14 then. I remembered the way she used to pick me up and tell me I was fine.
I remembered the times she used to stay up late, helping me with homework, or helping me with my boy trouble. She was like my sister.
I took a shaky breath. Aerith deserved better than this.
"We have to bury her." Sora said quietly.
"Here? I'm not putting her in the ground where she was murdered." Cloud argued.
"What makes you so sure she was murdered?" Riaz seemed to appear out of nowhere, looking as sinister as ever. Sinister. That was the perfect word to describe her. I didn't know WHY I felt like that. Riaz had been nothing but nice. Somehow I didn't trust her.
My thoughts were confusing me. I just didn't want to think anymore. As though reading my mind, Sora squeezed my hand comfortingly.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Sora growled.
"Its possible." Riaz spoke clearly and coolly. "That she killed herself. Don't rule out what you don't want to think happened." I saw Cloud's jaw tighten.
"Easy." Sora muttered pointedly to the blonde.
"We'll put her outside for now." Cloud managed to sound calm.
"Why outside." I asked, my voice just above a whisper.
"Because she'll start to smell soon."
"Cloud!" I exclaimed. He sounded so blunt it offended me.
"Kairi." He shut his eyes. "She's not Aerith anymore." His voice was unnaturally soft. "Besides, I'll get her a proper burial when we get out of here." His rough manner was back. He kicked open the door, leaving a large dark dent in the white wood.
When he came back in his arms were empty and stained red. "I need a shower." He grumbled, pushing past Leon and Yuffie. The silence in the room was thick.
"So lets figure this out." Riku stood up and began to pace. "Aerith was killed, possibly by one of us. That's doubtful. If that's the case, then it has to be an outside force. That same outside force has taken our cars. We are 30 miles from the nearest phone and none of us have a cell phone." He glanced out the window. "And the rain has started again."
"So...To sum it up." Sora said slowly.
"We're screwed." Leon contributed to the conversation in a dark tone of voice. I glanced at him furtively. Something about him intimidated me. I turned back around quickly.
"Unless we stick together." Sora rationalized. Silence fell upon the three men again.
"What does that mean?" Riku finally asked. "That we should all room together?" I saw Jailyn take his wrist and pull him firmly down next to her.
"Damn pacing..." I heard her mutter.
"Well, not necessarily. Just stick together. Try not to be alone." Sora elaborated his idea.
"That sounds fairly drastic." Riku argued. There was a flicker of lightning, reminding me of a camera flash. I wondered what would show up if someone had taken a picture. Riku's calm smirk trained upon Sora. Sora's indignant stare. Yuffie's and my terrified expressions. Jailyn and Leon were the only ones seeming to really be thinking this through.
"Aerith is dead, I think it calls for drastic measures." Sora snapped.
"Maybe." Riku shrugged, not bothered by Sora's excitement. "It's a little over the top is all I'm saying. Aerith COULD HAVE killed herself. I mean, its possible."
"Or maybe you're TRYING to keep us apart. Makes it harder to kill eh?" Yuffie accused. "And before you go saying Aerith was suicidal, step back. She was probably the kindest, sweetest person out of all of us. I'd bet my life she was murdered. If you aren't careful, you'll be looking mighty suspicious." Even I was surprised to hear the unintentional malice in her voice.
Riku simply looked at her, an eyebrow raised in an infuriatingly calm manner. I could tell this angered Yuffie more.
"Now hold on." Jailyn jumped to her feet angrily and pushed a strand of her pepper colored hair behind her ear. "Don't start pointing fingers yet. We're all scared and worried and upset and none of us are thinking straight. Riku couldn't and wouldn't kill anyone. Its incredibly insulting to insinuate otherwise."
"Well it's insulting that he would think Aerith killed herself." I insisted, my temper rising. If I weren't careful, my mouth would get the better of me.
"Well you never know. Don't forget that neither Riku nor I knew the woman. Why would Riku kill without a reason? Or with a reason." She added quickly. "Besides, Riaz was the one that brought it up."
All eyes turned to Riaz, or rather, where Riaz used to be. She must have slipped off during the middle of the argument.
"Alright." Sora said calmly. The fight was over. "Kairi will be staying with me. If anyone else wants to move a bed into my room, they are welcome to do so. I still suggest we all stay together, at least in groups of twos. Just to be safe."
I saw Riku chuckle and shake his head. Sora intentionally ignored him. "C'mon Kai." Sora squeezed my hand and led me in silence out of the white room.
"What'd ya mean I'm staying with you?" I asked as soon as we were out of earshot. Sora grinned but didn't answer. "What about Yuffie?" I didn't give up just yet.
"She can stay with us if she wants. Although I have a feeling she'll end up stayin with that Leon guy." He answered, still grinning. He pushed open his door once we'd reached his room on the second floor.
"It's a bit messy...wasn't expecting visitors." He ran a hand through his hair.
"Its fine." I replied, stepping in. He followed and closed the door behind him. "Hey." I said after a minute.
"Hmm?"
"Don't you find it weird?"
"Whassat?"
I gestured to the extra bed. "That everything seems to planned here. Everything is clean and fresh, there are beds in every room with clean sheets, there's no dust to be found. I mean if I lived alone in a three story house, I certainly wouldn't dust it all." I shrugged.
"I see what you mean." Sora glanced at the ceiling. "She has no phone and no car, so how does she get food? Enough food to feed all of us?"
"It seems to me." I sat down next to him. "That this has all been planned."
"Planned? Like someone wants us all dead?"
I shrugged, not answering. For once, the silence felt comforting. I knew it was because Sora was here. And if Sora was here...nothing bad could happen. Right?
"You sure you can handle staying with me?" I teased, elbowing my spiky haired friend. He flashed me his cheesy grin.
"The better question is...can you handle staying with me?" He poked my side and I squeaked.
"Don't you dare..." I warned, inching away from him. He lunged, tickling my stomach. With a huge shove on my part, I managed to get him off the bed. He laughed as he looked up at me. The butterflies began.
For a moment, I almost forgot about my friend's brutal murder. Almost.
{{~*~*~*~*~}}
Its very short, for which I apologize. And I want to apologize again for it being so late. -_- Bleh yes I know. Anyway, I'm very sorry I killed Aerith...and I'm sorry for who I'm going to kill next...*sigh*
And I have a confession to make. Jailyn and Riku will be...an item. Yes...she's mary-sueish. But not really, cause this doesn't follow KH and...I'm making excuses. I hope you wont hold it against me...but I really like Jailyn. ^_^ So I'll let Riku have her...sorry if this upsets anyone. Anyway, Thanks for the reviews!!!